Sovereign of the Seas 75cm – Free shipping

The Sovereign of the Seas was built as a deliberate attempt to bolster the reputation of the English crown. Her name was, in itself, a political statement as England’s King Charles tried to revive the perceived ancient right of the English kings to be recognised as the ‘Lords of the seas.’ Spectacularly recreated by Seacraft Gallery, this museum quality replica exudes every bit of the style and grace of the actual ship herself. Contemplate and place this tall ship model on a special position in your office, home or meeting room from which to display her divine beauty.

Sails are handmade with fine linen and rigging lines that vary in texture

This replica is built according to scale through original plans and pictures.

The model comes with a solid wood base, a name plate and the history of the Sovereign of the Seas ship.

History

HMS Sovereign of the Seas was built by Peter Pett (later a Commissioner of the Navy), under the guidance of his father Phineas, the king’s master shipwright, and was launched at Woolwich dockyard on October 13, 1637. As the second three-decked first-rate (the first three-decker being Prince Royal of 1610), she was the predecessor of Nelson’s Victory, although Revenge, built in 1577 by Mathew Baker, was the inspiration providing the innovation of a single deck devoted entirely to broadside guns.

She was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, completely adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings against a black background, and the money spent making her, £65,586, helped to create the financial crisis for Charles I that contributed to the English Civil War. Charles had imposed a special tax, the ‘Ship Money’, to make possible such large naval expenditure. The gilding alone cost £6,691, which in those days was the price of an average warship. She carried 102 bronze cannon (King Charles explicitly ordered such a high number) and was thereby at the time the most powerfully armed ship in the world. Until 1655, she was also exceptionally large for an English vessel; no other ships of Charles were heavier than the Prince Royal.